Rhyme and reason
by Gray lines
Summary: Something about the beat or maybe the words. Is it the base or the treble that carries the verse. I cant quite grasp the concept, would you care to explain? Why the rhythm has infected my brain. Short story's loosely based on music. Soma
1. I've been watching you

**Spirit**

 **Watching you, Rodney Atkins**

When Kami told him she was pregnant he was, well terrified to say the least. He was only 19 how was he supposed to take care of a kid.

When he had time to adjust to the idea of being a father he found himself rather excited. He have someone to look up to him. Someone who would want to be just like him.

That was before he screwed it all up. That was before the booze and the woman. Before the divorce papers where slammed down in front of him. Before even his wife and partner, the person he considered his best friend, could no longer put up with his bullshit.

He had a seen the light slowly dying in his daughters eyes. He'd heard the excited screeches of "papas home!" Slowly fade to a solemn silence. He realized that nothing he did would every be something for his child to copy. She would never want to be like him.

He remembers something shinigami-sama told him before maka was born. "Treat her well spirit, even when your not getting along, because the way you treat your wife is the way your daughter will let men treat her."

The idea was nearly sickening to him. That's why he was so protective of her when it came to boys. He wouldn't let history repeat itself.

He nearly pissed himself when he heard that she had taken a male weapon. And the kid only made it worse, slouching around school having no respect for himself for anyone around him, openly dissing his teachers and making maka's life harder with his poor grades.

He reminded spirit too much of himself. But no matter how hard he pushed he couldn't get the stupid octopus head out of his daughters life. Not without killing him, which believe me was still an option if the little shit put his hands on her.

The day they to made their less that platonic relationship official spirit cornered him near the training grounds with murder in his eyes.

"God damn it you little shit, have you learned nothing from my threats boy!"

"Yeah old man, I've learned plenty from you over the years. I've been watching you run around this town like a cat on nip, screwing everything that walks, only to turn around and play innocent with maka. I've seen your many mistakes and you bet your ass I've learned from them. I'm not going to hurt her spirit. I'm not like you."

'In not like you'

Spirit was in sudden awe of the irony that had become his life. His lecherous ways had messed up his daughter pretty good. He always thought because of him she would end up with a cheating douche or all alone with no one to love, he knew that nothing he ever did could make up for that.

But just maybe in all of his screw ups. What not to do somehow got translated to soul, and he was a better man for it. A better man for maka.

Spirit couldn't fix the damage he had done, but maybe soul could.


	2. Coming down

**Maka**

 **Coming down, Halsey**

 **Definite implied adult themes**

There's something unexplainably dark about her weapon. Something that goes beyond the black blood or years of nightmarish encounters with the true evil of this world.

Something in his soul is lurking just beyond the realm of her understanding. Like a deep melody played for the deaf she can feel it rattle against her, feel its intense power but she cant quite grasp it.

He's good about keeping it hidden. He holds back the darkness inside him afraid it might taint her light. She had only seen a glimpse or two when he got especially aggressive in battle, or an injury of hers was too extensive.

But she can find it now, swimming in his eyes when another man steals her attention. She can feel it press against her when a stranger flirts to hard.

And she finds it oh so enticing when that darkness is telling him exactly how to punish her. When his glare turns murderous and his grip is firm. When he feels the need remind her who he belongs to.

Because he truly is a beast at heart and she is his tamer. He worships her but never lets her forget his wild. Like a lion trapped in a zoo he will preform but he will not submit.

She provokes his crazy, because she is a sinner and he leaves her unforgiven when she tests his control. She is a fool to play with fire, even when it burns so intensely in his gaze.

But how can she resist when he plays her so well. This boy is a religion always on the edge of her thoughts, always watching and judging. So she devotes herself to time on her knees, and prays till the sunrise.

He comes down harder that the law, telling her of her mistakes, and reading her rights. He does not compromise and she would have it no other way.

She is a fool for sacrifice.


	3. Trumpets

**Soul**

 **Trumpets, Jason Derulo**

His music had always been manic. It was choppy and impulsive like his wavelength.

Just about the opposite of his calm and cool front.

Maka however hummed a steady rhythm always in control very unlike her violent tone deaf exterior.

He never realised his music came from his soul until she started bleeding in. When they resonated he could feel a shift in the notes he struck.

They were suddenly steadier with a constant beat to carry his erratic chords. They had a firm grounding they were lacking before.

She steadied his soul the way he did her physically. And suddenly she was his muse.

Everything about her was music to him. The sway of her hair, her steady heart beat, her hand splayed across his chest late at night. It all sang to him.

He found himself inspired to write in a way he never was at home. He could just sit and watch her with a hundred sonnets playing in his mind.

He could sit and watch her for a hundred years and never run out of new melody's to describe her eyes.

Just as long as she didn't try to sing and ruin the mood completely.


	4. Beautiful goodbye

**Soul**

 **Beautiful** **goodbye, maroon 5**

They had worked so hard for this moment. Every physical and mental scar all for the sake of this moment.

Soul stepped up to lord death in front of all of his class and his teacher. The witches soul clutched tightly in his fist. They had put it on ice during the Kishin battle and saved it for this day.

Lord death's large hand smacked into his back, throwing him a little off balance but encouraged him all the same. His eyes flashed to maka where she stood to the side of the platform, her three star badge clutched in her hands.

His eager smile dropping suddenly at the shiny tracks across her cheeks. He was about to approach her when blackstar yelled from the crowd, "just eat it already."

Soul devoured the soul eagerly and paused as a real rush of power hummed through his limbs. He felt like he was on the best high of his life but some nagging fealing in his gut wouldn't go away.

He found her a few hours later under the staircase by the library. Tear tracks were still clear on her face and her eyes were red.

She tried to cover it up with a fake smile and a rather pathetic giggle, but he was not fooled.

"Whats the matter?"

"Hmm? I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play dumb with me Albarn, in not stupid."

"Really soul, nothings wrong these are happy tears."

"Are you- are you not disappointed in me?"

Her eyes widened.

"No soul, of course not. I'm so proud of you I can hardly breath. I'm just... well you know now that your a death scythe you can work with better meisters and I'm really happy for you. You can get even stronger-"

She had started chocking up around the part about other meisters and then shed wandered into full blown blabbering.

"You think I'm leaving?" He asked incredulously.

"Its your best option soul, you _should_ train with other meisters. You could be the best death scythe ever of you learned-"

"Maka Albarn, do you really think that is would let anyone else handle me. Do you think that is would go off and leave you to handle another weapon?"

"Soul its what we're supposed to do."

"Bullshit, we're supposed to be partners maka, this is not goodbye, its forever"


	5. Break

**Soul**

 **Break** , **three days grace**

He knew he would never be as good a musician as his brother. Every second he spent practicing and learning was all in torturous vain. He knew he would fail and yet he tried.

He felt so awkward stumbling over the keys, calling attention to his each and every mistake.

He couldn't live like this forever. He had to break away. Had to find a place away from everything and everyone he knew. He couldn't stand staying the way this place made him feel.

His weapon blood was a blessing. He suddenly had a way out that didn't involve waiting till he was 18 or suicide.

And when he met her it was like a gift from the gods. He had a higher purpose. An achievable goal. the road would be long and hard but he knew he could be better than that no good skirt chasing death scythe.

She started a fire within him and it reflected in both their eyes. They were ready for battle. Ready for the kill. Ready to bring justice to the scum of the earth. They were just ready, something soul had never be able to achieve at home.

He had broken away from all of the restraints of his family and taken himself to a higher place. He had a purpose that he and only he was responsible for. He didn't have to compete with anyone to be the best. Not with maka by his side. It was as easy as breathing.


	6. Bad Intentions

**Maka**

 **B** **ad intentions, Niykee Heaton**

Lust, it was the forbidden land where good girls went to die. It was a plane of thought too tempting not to stubble through. And it was littered with Bad intentions.

you cant blame somebody for wanting love. Be it physical, emotional, or both love was Something everyone needs.

Maka doesn't believe in love. Not the emotional kind anyways. So naturally the feelings catch her off guard.

Suddenly burning red is her new favorite color. His voice is her new favorite sound. And she is too mortified to admit the amount of day dreams he's stared in.

She knows he can see it all over her. Its impossible but she swears he knows exactly what she's thinking even when she's all alone in her head.

Its all her fault. If she hadn't entertained the thoughts about his eyes it wouldn't have escalated to his hips or his tongue. (Or his ass)

She doesn't want to go home anymore. But she also doesn't want to be alone. Leaving him at all is painful, like a little piece of her is missing.

She tries to act like nothings changed. Like she doesn't stare too hard when he walks around shirtless. She tries being nicer even though she cant make up her mind if its to make up for her unholy thoughts or to get him to notice her.

She has to stop all these bad intentions. Has to purge them from her mind.

So she writes them down.

1) she day dreams about his long (long, long) tongue, and all of the (dirty amazing, hot) things it could do.

2) she watches his ass move when he walks. In public!

3) she bakes him cupcakes every week because he likes to lean over her trying to steal a taste of the batter. (And them abs pressed to her back, let me tell you)

4) she purposefully lets him sleep against her more in public. Mostly because he is so comfy but also so his fan girls can eat their hearts out.

5) she always 'forgets' to buy his sweat pants and size bigger to compensate for his long legs, Because he'll wear the small ones low on his hips and damn its his fault for being so hot half asleep.

6) for resonating with him while reading in hopes that a romantic part will come up and she can bombard him with romantic feelings. (Aka brain washing)

7) he's become the only reason she fights half as hard as she does for her life. Its not a sin but its a part of what makes him so important to her. They live for each other.

8) she snuggles with him after he uses her shampoo because she loves it when he smells like her. (Even though she still complains about it.)

9) she crawls into bed with him even when she hasn't had a nightmare, and he cuddles her anyway thinking she's upset.

10) she may or may not have a had a few wet dreams about him. And my or may not have woken him up with her moaning (she's going to hell)

There, ten bad intentions isn't bad. Sure she's going to hell anyway for picturing her weapon with his hand up her skirt, but hey it could be worse. It was just ten. Ten things to work on. Ten secrets. Ten things not to mention, EVER.

You know until said weapon knocks her journal off the coffee table by accident and guess what page it lands open on.

She knows she's screwed when she walks back in the room and he's got the most burning gaze set on her little list.

A single page with "my bad intentions" scrawled across the top.

She tackles the notebook away, but the damage is done. She cant even look him in the eye now.

"So my tongue huh?"

Yep you can actually die of embarrassment.


	7. Blowing smoke

**Blowing smoke, Kasey Musgrave**

Battle is hard. Its scary and exhilarating and deadly. Hundreds of meisters lose their lives in battle every year. Its not a profession you chose if your really looking forward to grandkids some day

Maka knows this, she's always known this. She wont have a long life, but that's fine as long as she lives an accomplished one.

But soul doesn't see it that way. He's hell bent in protecting her in battle. Its ridiculous for him to be willing to throw himself out of his weapon form and in between her and an attack.

Doesn't he know that he is her legacy. She's not a mom or a teacher. She doesn't leave behind physical objects to remind people of her accomplishments. He is her accomplishment. He's what she fights so hard to create.

Not a single one of the current death scythes aside from himself where created with one Meister. Every one of them lost a Meister in battle.

Hell there hasn't been a Meister in history that made it over the age of forty.

But they like to skim over this fact. They like to ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist even when coffin after coffin of their classmates is laid to rest in the endless field of the death room.

They still make plans. Tsubaki wants two kids and Liz wants a fashion line, they sit and chat about their futures like normal people who don't go charging into battle.

Maka peeks over her hot tea and tells them she wants a book shop. Somewhere small where she can sell books and read all day. They'd have a music section for soul to manage and sell tea and coffee, maybe even little pastries.

They all smile and tell her she can have it just as soon as she finishes up her studies. She can take up the store instead of teaching and have people run it while she's on missions.

Really they're just blowing smoke up each others asses. They know they wont live to see maka's book shop, or tsubaki's kids get past the age of 18 but they smile and laugh anyways.

They all say they'll quite some day before their skin is made entirely of scars and their bones have been broken too many times to count. They say they will lead normal lives without worrying about the their partners life slipping through their finger or their own soul being ripped from their chests.

They say a lot of things but never the truth.

Not until he's laid out in a hospital bed again, staring up at her with unapologetic red eyes. Not until she's yelling at him for being so stupid, how she was never supposed to live that long anyway and what of he dies, how is she supposed to live without him.

How dare he be so selfish as to abandon her alone in this life. She's not spouting happy optimistic lies anymore this is serious and if he puts her through this one more time she swears she fallow him into death just to bash his stupid head in.

And just please, please don't leave her.

He's mad now, yelling at her for thinking such things.

How was she supposed to not except the truth when it surrounds her everyday. No Meister has ever lived past forty.

He grabs her by the back of her neck bringing her face closer to his so he can stare directly into her eyes.

"Well I guess your just going to have to be the first."


	8. When I grow up

**Maka ~ soul**

 **When I grow up, pussy cat dolls.**

 **"What did you want to grow up to be when you were little?"**

\--maka--When I was little, I wanted to be famous. I wanted to walk through the streets and have people shout thanks to me. I wanted the kids to look up to me like they did my mom. I wanted to seem strong and fearless. I wanted to be just like my mother.

I guess I just never looked at the whole picture. People didn't shout their thanks to her in the streets. Maybe she would get compliments and respect at the academy but the citizens she risked her life to protect didn't feel the same. They feared her and my papa. They were scared of the battle hardened faces and the intimidating stance.

My mom was a great fighter and she saved a lot of peoples lives so I can never be regretful of the way her life turned out. But even the strongest people are weak, and my mama drew her line in the sand. Unfortunately we were not on the same side of it.

I signed up for this life out of a naive need to prove my worth to the world. I didn't want to be seen as the daughter that wasn't good enough for her mother to take with her. I wanted to surpass my father and prove to the world that I had something to offer it.

I don't regret my naivete, it has led me to a bigger purpose than I ever would have accomplished without the academy. And it brought me face to face with people I would trade every semblance of a normal life to know.

I did become essentially what I wanted to be when I grew up, I just didn't really know what it actually mental to be a meister.

\--soul--

When I was little I wanted to be a concert pianist. I wanted to be better than my brother. I wanted to step out of his shadow and just be more accomplished.

And when that didn't happen right away, I took it personally. I grew up bitter and resentful. I was never going to be good enough so why bother trying.

But i did, I tried hard. I practiced till my fingers bled. Till I could play every song forwards and backwards. But my music was never suited for the upscale life I was born into.

When maka found me, I guess I found a new purpose. A new way of thinking. And for a while I just fallowed her. I did as I was told and collected my souls. But I never took the Initiative. I never fought on my own to be a good weapon. Not until I realized just how much maka needed me.

I realised I couldn't live my life in anyone's shadow anymore. Not my brother's or maka's fathers. I had to lead her after the Incident with ragnarok. I had to remind her what her dreams were and how to achieve them. I had to remind her that my scars were never going to be any worse than hers and that we were in it together.

And when she got herself put back together we met on equal ground. Neither fallowing but simply moved as one unit towards our goals. Not hers or mine but ours.

I thought I wanted to be a famous musician so I could surpass my brother and I though I wanted to be a death scythe to surpass spirit. But really I just want to be a good weapon. I want to protect my meister and I want to save people even if they don't stand up and cheer my name.


End file.
